Comments on: Reality check for the much-hyped Origami PC

Microsoft's vision of cheap, pocket-size minitablet remains elusive goal. Will buyers wait for next generation?

Origami hype

It doesn't look as if Origami has much of a future in business without a keyboard - virtual or otherwise. Just who, exactly, is this aimed at? At the moment it sounds like an expensive Playstation.

[Thunderbuck]

Look again...

If you go on Microsoft's UMPC site, there's a demo video that includes a shot of the virtual keyboard; it's split, and appears in the bottom corners so you can hit the "buttons" with your thumbs as you hold the device at either end. Clever.

The devices also seem to be Bluetooth compliant, so BT keyboards are an option, not to mention USB.

If these devices perform reasonably well, I want one badly. Much easier to carry around than a laptop.

[Olu070]

Medical profession

As the US forces medical professionals to electronic medical
records this could be a huge area of growth. I use a tablet for
computer charting and something like this might be useful, but the
current software I use works better with more pixels and a large
screen. I'm not sure how I'd like squinting at 1080 x 768 pixels on
a 7 inch screen

[DB50]

Keyboard

I agree, It needs a keyboard..!!

[Earl Benser]

First guess maybe correct.....

.... a cell phone on steroids, with no end of services to pay for. I
parked my Newtons a long time ago. I won't even bother buying
one of these.

[R. U. Sirius]

I won't either

For all the hype, this thing is a huge disappointment. It's a tablet PC, and the market for it has to be some subset (keyword: subset) of either the laptop market or the PDA market. But this is too big to replace PDA's, and doesn't really act as a good fit to replace my laptop.

This will go the same route as BOB.

[AlexRiedel]

And this is exciting why?

I have had a Fujitsu P1510D for a while now.
These devices are not any better, lighter, don't have a longer battery life and lack the keyboard to use make it a convertible.
I also have not seen a docking station.

Sorry Microsoft, a day late and a dollar short.

[rch99]

shut up and consume

:)

[Sentinel]

Where Am I?

Ha ha hah. Origami has made me laugh from the moment I saw the "mysterious" Flash promo on origamiproject.com. From the moment I saw it was a Microsoft product, I knew it would not be the revolutionary product they tried to make it seem on the promo. Don't get me wrong, the idea of a mini tablet PC, smaller and more portable than a laptop is very appealing, but not at the announced price tag. For a few more hundred dollars, I can buy myself a proper laptop, which seems to be less power hungry than these devices.

[Mr. Network]

I'm so excited!

No I'm not. I too knew all the hype was just that. It's nothing new or revolutionary, it's just smaller.

Here's my review in a word:

Weaksauce.


Back to work you slackers!

[jmmejzz]

Bad Timing

It would seem to me to be bad timing to "launch" these things in the shadow of Windos Vista. For a new hyped product not to be able to run Vista, which is not that far away, would have negative influence on the "geek" and first adopter buyer.

[andy_oh]

Didn't the tablet already bomb?

Ultramobile? I don't think I have any pockets that could fit this beast.

I think they should cut their losses with this tablet stuff and spend some money debugging the mess they've already created.

[Geeklan]

SuSe

I wonder if I can put SuSe on it?!

I'd like to give it a shot

Anyone got one they'd be willing to "loan" to me? ;)

[matt02429]

Could be good

As a student who spends much of my down time in search of an open computer lab, i can say oragimi would be awesome IF, it weren't $1,000. I think students would be a perfect market, you could work on all of your papers right on the device, you could take notes on it ect. I would definitly be in the market for one if it weren' $1,000 I mean really i could buy a laptop these days for $500. Why would I bother with oragami? I think their problem is that they're trying to make this too many things... If this were more like a glorified dell axim then maybe id bite, but its reall a stripped down overpriced tablet pc...

[ethernet76]

Students

I think you'd find as many students with this as a PDA. Not
anyone I know has a PDA. They're just too small, and notebooks
make better companions when you're studying.

As for papers, students are more likely to spend 500 on a Dell
desktop than a first generation tech toy.

The only portable device you'll really see on campus is a MP3
player. Even laptops are confined mostly to the desk/bed.
Especially since a lot of universities have limited WiFi coverage
areas that don't include classrooms or lecture halls.

After all, isn't just a $500 Mead notebook if you can't surf teh
interwebs while in class?

[mopeon]

Missing most important feature today...

Built-in 3G! (IMHO) Using Bluetooth to connect to a 3G Bluetooth mobile adds $100s more to price tag - plus drains two batteries for the function of one.

Too bad MS missed this boat, again...

Will wait for Apple's iPuter. They'll get it right the first time.

[Norseman]

Now we know why they kept it a secret

It's another great example of the Microsoft design philosophy--"Designed by nerds-for nerds" (or in this case, for rich nerds!)

Looks like a badly targeted PSP

From all the hype it really unclear as to who this device is targeted at. It's certainly not a replacement for a laptop and it's certainly not a replacement for a more mobile device like a PDA or high-end cellphone. So who is the target audience.

[Bobman]

o rly?

Considering that it could do most things that a laptop could, I'd say that its a laptop replacement. It is most definately NOT specifically targeted to take on the PSP. That is just plain ludicrous.

[rayted32-191126880979139043961]

Put a Cell Phone in It!

This is a "tweener" device great for non-busines folks on the go. Shopping, travel, leisure time. Therefore, it needs to be an entertainment, shopping, information, connectivity device, including phone, for adults.

Point it at a storefront, it retrieves the latest coupon. Sit on a bench and watch the latest news/sports. Call your daughter in college and see her/she sees you. Take a picture with flash.

It'll fly! Just show the soccer moms and boomers!

[Steve Jordan]

Or...

Use a $500 laptop running the OS of choice, and still have enough cash left over to buy things without needing coupons, fly to your daughter's college for a visit, and take a picture with a nice camera.

[kingwr]

Bluetooth to Phone

The capability to connect to the Internet via bluetooth through your cellphone is a much better solution. Cell phone technology changes rapidly, new networks, frequencies, protocols, company mergers, etc., and cell phone companies are notorious about not updating their devices with service packs and such. The bluetooth option is a better way to go because it seperates the UMPC from the communications hardware and will prevent obsolescence of the devices.

[shikarishambu]

Taking a page out of Jobs' playbook

And, finally MSFT manages it - To create hype around its product that matched the kind of hype Apple always does.

Of course, the product is nothing great. But, hey, at least you got the hype part right!

[mtremain]

It's a NEWTON!!!!!!!

Funny stuff - looks like Microsoft came out with a Newton about a decade too late. Read this quote with the Newton in mind...
"It's a product in search of a market," he said. It's too expensive for the things it does, Baker said, and is "too under-featured to do some of the other things it needs to do."

[hugh dunnit]

I'd like one if

it didn't cost so much, wasn't so big, and wasn't just shrunken tablet pc.

If it has a touch screen, then make the device as big as the screen, why do I want all this extra real estate on the sides of the screen. The pictures of people holding it look like they are about to play a giant gameboy. No thanks.

It can't really be that expensive to make a portable PC with a touchscreen. lower the price!

I like the idea of running windows xp(vista really) on a small device that i can play music/watch video/check email/do work with/whatever a pc does. If I could actually run any program that works on windows on it I'd love it. Itd be great for car rides/planes/subway or for lunch time, down time etc. I think it could have alot of uses. I find my PDA to be too one dimensional. I have an ultraportable laptop, and it's fine, but something even smaller would be great.

Someone other then MS make this please.

[catch23]

One the extra real estate

on the sides, imagine holding it one handed, reading it like a book. I think it is nice to have somthing to grip onto that is not the screen, as I invision using a device like this one handed a lot. That is also the reason I like having some controls on the front, for scrolling and such.
As for the size, I like it. The screen is easily readable, unlike my PDA half the time.
And why the 'someone other then MS make this please'? MS makes the software, which appears quite usable and friendly. The hardware makers need to get the price of the components down, as well as the battery life up (a lot).

[booboo1243]

Mobile Virus Generator?

MVG, yeah, that's it...

[bruscol]

Makes no sense with Digital Rights Management

This device makes no sense. I can get a 2 1.2 lb laptop with a 10 inch screen - yes it is more expensive - but it is also more capable. I can get a DVD player that looks like a tablet with the DVD built in for $400. What good is this without a DVD drive? If I could transfer DVDs to the hard drive - yes, I could see it - but is this intended to encourage people to download software to rip DVDs to the hard drive??

[PyresFlood]

An Idiot

You Sir, are an idot.

[SammySamad]

Hype was from the press!

This was hyped up by the press not MicroSoft. If this can eventually work upto a day with a battery charge and the price comes down, and if the Wi-Fi connectivity cost is not too steep - this will be a great hit. I'll buy one for sure.

[manishe]

Who will use this?

I mean, its too big to carry around casually like an ipod or palm pilot. I can't just slip it in my bag. And it lacks the functionality of a laptop so why would I bring this over a laptop? And why would I hook this up to an external GPS unit for navigation when I can just buy a standalone GPS receiver for 1/10 the cost and takes up 1/2 the dashboard space. When will we see an iPod sized device with camera, phone and full PDA functionality? Now that will deserve some hype!

[Villages263]

Who will use this?

Granted it may not be used by the masses, but some of us, myself included, have been waiting for something like this for awhile!! I want something better than a collection of 8.5x11" paper pages held together by large binder rings, known to newspaper carriers as throw books! I have to keep track of over 900 addresses, with over 700 active addresses daily, before I can throw the daily newspapers in subcribers drive ways. I have to daily update my throw book to reflect what addresses have requested vacation stops or restarts, the throw books use Excel format. In my case, a PDA is too small and even a small laptop is too big, for use in my own pickup, along with several hundred rolled and bagged newspapers! Thank you very much!

[JFDMit]

GranTop or GrampsPC

I saw a post on another thread saying that the larger screen and bigger overall size of the UMPC compared with PDAs/Smartphones would be very attractive to senior citizens, who find small screens and tiny buttons hard to use.

Given that seniors will comprise a increasingly large proportion of the population in years to come, this may well be a viable demographic for the UMPC.

I think I'll run off and trademark GranTop and GrampsPC, just in case.

[Thunderbuck]

I will!

This device offers a LOT of functionality that I can't find anywhere else. I'm a long-haul trucker, and I can use this device to store audio books and my complete music collection. "Get an iPod", you say, but I can also store and play recorded TV for my downtime on the road, and I like the larger screen for that.

It would also provide me Internet access in hotspots, and the potential for GPS is intriguing.

I had been looking at a Tablet PC, but this would honestly be easier to carry around and be generally more useful.